Isle Esme 2
by septembermorn
Summary: Edward and Bella are still on their honeymoon. Set after a day or two. Nothing too explicit, just the normal because Edward is so worried about Bella.


**This is my first fanfic! It takes place while Edward and Bella are on Isle Esme after about two or three days. It takes place right after an argument. **

I was tucked under Edward's cool, strong arm. It felt safe, and despite the physical coolness of his skin, it made me warm all over, inside and out. However, reason had now taken over and the emotions were fading after our little argument. We laid there in an awkward silence; both not wishing to be the first to yield to the other. We were both stubborn in our own ways. His powder blue collar shirt was still unbuttoned so I traced my fingers along his stomach. I could still feel his sour mood but ever so often I caught him breathing unevenly or making those sounds in the back of his throat that always gave me chill bumps. I needed to distract him, and me. I needed to get him back to himself and out of this worry that he would lose his control with me. I didn't mind him being so protective; in fact, it was rather flattering. (Although his over-protectiveness had been, on more than one occasion, misconstrued as extreme possessiveness by all of our high school friends. But those were two entirely different concepts and they just didn't understand the way I did about Edward. He was possessive, but not in the way they were thinking).

Suddenly a bright idea came to me. "Have I talked in my sleep any lately?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could muster. Hoping the sudden amusement in my voice wouldn't betray me.

His eyes never wavered, he didn't tense up, and he never stopped stroking my arm. "No." He stated matter-of-factly.

Good. I'm glad all over again that he can't listen to my mind and know _exactly_ what I was thinking. I wanted to catch him off guard, to surprise him, and perhaps show him precisely what I meant and felt.

"Then I have something to make up to you." I confessed innocently.

He froze.

Perfect. For the briefest moment I thought he would get even angrier with me, but the confidence welled up from somewhere inside me, and the fear quickly passed. He turned onto his side and looked deep into my eyes. Those wonderfully torturous eyes almost made me forget what I was doing as they burned deep inside me trying to find some kind of answer. They weren't angry or disapproving, just very curious…and loving. I could feel my face melting away into tenderness and I knew he saw it. I was laying on one of his arms, so with the other one he gently stroked my neckline and cheek.

"Why…" His voice caught, he closed his eyes and mustered himself. "Why, after all I've done to you and put you through, would you think you _owe_ me, of all people, anything?" He was looking deep into my eyes again, searching.

"I love you." It was the surest thing I had ever spoken.

His hand, much to my disappointment, stopped its gentle caress but he cupped my neck in his hand and turned my face more towards him. (I had been admiring his chest in an offhand sort of way, if that was even possible) The intensity of the confusion deepened in his beautiful golden eyes and I tried my best to suppress the amusement that flooded me.

When he didn't say anything I tried to explain. "You said that it was one of your favorite memories that I say that all the time in my sleep." A smile was beginning to spread across my face and poured out into my words. "I've been remiss in telling you just how much you mean to me." I tried saying this mimicking his antique, gentlemanly manner. I could see the thoughts churning behind his eyes as he tried to follow my human logic. After a moment, he closed his eyes again and his brow furrowed.

Then I heard it. It was low at first but it grew. It was a growl from deep inside Edward's chest. At first, fear gripped itself around the pit of my stomach and wiped away any pleasure I was visibly deriving from teasing him. However, Edward's eyes flashed open and pierced right into mine, but they weren't angry in any sort of way. In fact they were very much the opposite. They were almost wild with passion…and humor, which is what I didn't expect. He saw the terrified look in my eyes and howled with laughter. After calming himself down a bit he tried to be a little more serious to explain his side of the story, which I was sure I knew by heart already.

"Bella…" Edward began. There was an odd mixture of emotion hanging heavy on his voice. "I know…" How could he explain it in a way that I hadn't already heard it? I understood his argument perfectly…but there was something about us connecting on such a level that made it right, and I knew it.

So, I didn't give him the chance to finish. I leaned up and quickly kissed him so hard it almost took _my_ breath away. I leaned back to dare looking at his eyes again. He was so beautiful, and he was all mine. I swelled with pride at that fact. I may not be the most beautiful person on the planet, but I certainly belonged to the one who was.

"Edward," I began. "I know you wanted me to have a choice and really think through all the possibilities and consequences, well, I have and I've made my choice. No regrets, no turning back. I can't imagine any other life than this now. It feels more right than anything in my life." I paused long enough to gauge his reaction; to determine if I were pressing my luck. He didn't look pained, not much anyway, or even angry, mostly just…wondering. So, I continued. "'You are my life now.'" I quoted. "Remember? I'm saying it now to you. You are my life, every part of it."

"Bella, Heaven knows that I don't deserve you, and I will spend all of eternity trying, but…"

I opened my mouth to cut him off again but he wouldn't have it this time.

"Despite what you and I _feel,_ the fact remains that until you are changed, I could very easily take your life in so many different ways, and most of them without thinking about it or by being careless. Aside from enduring eternity without you, which you know I could never do, how on earth could I live, even for the briefest time, knowing that I was the one that did that to you? All the other lives that I have taken put together wouldn't equal the pain and evil of taking your life."

"I can't think of a better way to go."

He just looked at me with a range of emotions from anger to disappointment flickering across his face. He finally settled for scowling at me.

I figured I better explain myself. "So what if something did happen? If you are so insistent that I remain human, that I must die, you know I would want it to at least be in your arms."

He broke out laughing and it was my turn to scowl a little. "Bella, Bella, Bella." He joked. There was something about the way he said my name, something stirring underneath his ease…"You are way too obsessed over me."

"I don't care!" I tried to complain. "I like it that way."

"And vice versa." He whispered, eyes burning into mine…cheater.

I closed my eyes in defeat and simply enjoyed him caressing my arm and neckline again. After a few minutes I noticed that a wide grin had spread across my face, but I still didn't want to open my eyes.

"Edward?" I asked in the most lilting voice I could.

"Mmm"

"Do me a favor."

I could feel him eyeing me cautiously, but confessed, "You have but to ask, love."

"Tell me you love me." I wanted so much to listen to his perfect voice.

His reaction made me open my eyes. He quickly lay flat of his back and pulled me on top of him. Almost frantically, he took my face into his hands and stared at me.

"Do you doubt it?" He questioned when he had gotten control of himself. I could hear the panic and fear in his voice and could tell that he desperately wished he could read my thoughts. He seemed to think that the pain he supposed he inflicted on me was beginning to register with me. But that wasn't it at all.

"Not at all," I calmly reassured him. I wrapped my left arm around his upper body and stroked his face calmly with my right. "I just like it when you say it." That was the understatement of the year! His voice was music to my ears and it made my whole body sing. And when he said those magical words, it was even better.

If I hadn't already known how impossibly strong he was physically I would have sworn that the weight of the world had been crashing in on top of him and my reassuring words made it instantly vanish from his shoulders. He grabbed my neck and gently pulled my head down to meet his. He reached up until his lips were at my ear. His cool breath danced inside my ear.

"I love you." He whispered velvety soft, and tenderly kissed directly behind my earlobe.

He kissed down the right side of my neck and started back up on the other side. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes to enjoy the moment.

"I love you." He whispered again into my other envious ear. Again, he kissed behind my earlobe. This time his feather like kisses traced my jaw line and I put my head back down towards his so he could reach the rest of my face with his mouth.

"Don't stop." I pleaded dreamily, my eyes closed again.

I could feel he was enjoying what he was doing to me, so he willingly complied.

"I love you." He whispered yet again. He kissed the corner of my eye. On his way to the other eye he stopped at the tip of my nose.

"I love you." He repeated (although it didn't sound like hollow repetition to me, it seemed the words grew truer every time he said them). He kissed my nose. I got a full whiff of his sweet breath then and it almost drove me crazy.

I couldn't stand it anymore. My lips frantically searched for his. When I found them I practically smothered him with kisses. I could feel him smiling despite the torrent so I pulled myself closer to him with a groan. He didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he braced my neck as if he were afraid I would break it with my fury. His other hand slid across the small of my back until he securely had me in a firm but gentle hug.

When I was forced to resurface for air I finally opened my eyes. He was still smiling my favorite smile. I couldn't look away, even if I should wish to.

"Am I to understand, _Mrs. Cullen_ that you are attempting to reciprocate my feelings?"

"You understand correctly _Mr. Cullen_….a 110%!"

This time it was Edward that began the kissing marathon, and on this particular race, I didn't care who won so long as we were running together.


End file.
